A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Sorted by date Results 526 - 550 of 1390
Thank you to the members of the city council, city employees, fire department and police and anyone else who worked so hard putting together the National Night Out event in Kettle River. About 100 people attended, and roughly 20 children got rides in the firetruck. An excellent meal was also provided in addition to gifts for the children. Fortunately, the rain held off until nearly everyone had left. Thanks, too, to the crew that spent time in the hot sun to get the crosswalks painted on Highway 73 at the post office crossing and also at the...
Carlton County commissioners gave their support for a $400,000 broadband internet grant during their meeting Monday, July 25. The board instructed economic development director Mary Finnegan to write a letter of support for the Border-to-Border grant application being filed by Consolidated Telephone Co. Due by Thursday, Aug. 4, the grant would help cover $984,790 in costs for Brainerd-based Consolidated Telephone to lay fiber optic cable past 246 homes in northern Cloquet. Consolidated Telephone has also proposed a broadband extension to includ...
If early voting is any indicator, next week’s primary election may not be a barnburner in Carlton County. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9. Kelly Lampel, chief deputy auditor/treasurer for Carlton County, said the office was prepared for a much higher turnout in advance of the primary, but relatively few people have requested absentee ballots. “It’s nothing at all compared to 2020,” she said. “But primary elections often have lower turnout, especially during a non-presidential year.” Still, it’s not too late... Full story
The filing period for local school boards, most city councils and township supervisor positions opened Tuesday and will remain open through Tuesday, Aug. 16. In most cases, one must file in the clerk’s office, whether it’s for a school district, municipality or township. Filing fees are minimal, mostly between $2 and $5. School Board positions Current seat holders’ names are provided in parentheses. Cloquet (Ted Lammi, Gary Huard, Dave Battaglia) Barnum (Paul Coughlin, Beth Schatz, Jessica Unkelhaeuser) Carlton (Ann Gustafson, Susan Karp,... Full story
A 17-year-old Kettle River boy was killed last weekend after the Jeep he was driving crossed the centerline and collided with another vehicle. Sebastien Jakob Blondo was traveling east on Minnesota Highway 210 outside Aitkin when the crash occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, a Minnesota State Patrol news release said. The driver of the other vehicle, Curtis Dean Watson, 75, of Aitkin, was taken by helicopter to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The hospital did not respond to an inquiry about Watson’s c...
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is hosting “coffee with the candidates” in Moose Lake, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 30 at the Soo Line Event Center, 900 Folz Blvd. The DFL True Blue Gathering will provide voters the opportunity to speak with and learn more about the candidates and their stand on critical issues facing local families. Confirmed candidates include Jen Schultz, John Peura, Pete Radosevich and Eric Olson, plus special guests. The event is timed to offer voters an int... Full story
Although August is just around the corner, the summer festival season is abuzz with activity, with Carlton Daze this weekend, followed by Esko Fun Days, the Honey Bee Festival, Wrenshall Brickyard Days, and Ma & Pa Kettle Days over the first two weeks of August. Esko Fun Days runs Aug. 2-9 and will be combined with an all-school reunion in celebration of the school's 100th (actually 102nd, thanks to Covid) anniversary. The fun kicks off Tuesday night with a National Night Out gathering... Full story
On a hot July summer day, 64 players gathered for the third annual Gary "Moose" Pastika memorial golf fundraiser at the Cloquet Country Club. Pastika was an avid golfer and a 50-year member of the Cloquet Country Club. He beat colon cancer once, but the sometimes irrepressible disease came back with a vengeance and he died in December 2018. In response, a few of Gary's family and friends initiated the idea of the fundraiser, including Cloquet Hospital Foundation Executive Director Laurie Korby,... Full story
The Carlton County Historical Society asked and Corky Mackey replied. All CCHS knew was that the photo above was of Billy Pederson's second-grade class in 1950. They didn't have a school, teacher's name or any other details. Well, it turns out that it was also Mackey's second-grade class at Moose Lake Elementary School. The teacher was Mrs. Nelson. Mackey was even able to identify every child in the photo, beginning with the row farthest to the right: Maryanne Degruglier (spelling?), Laurene...
Norman L. Larson, 74, of Hopkins and formerly of Cromwell, died peacefully July 24, 2022, at his brother’s home in Mahtowa, as he loved being up north in the country. He was born March 19, 1948, to James Sr. and Mildred Larson in Cloquet. He grew up in Cromwell, where he attended high school, graduating in 1967. Norman attended the University of Minnesota Duluth for a short time, then joined the U.S. Army in 1969, becoming a Green Beret in the Army’s Special Forces. He was honorably dis... Full story
The names of two Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidates - John Peura of Moose Lake and Michelle Boyechko of Tamarack - will be on the ballot for Minnesota Senate District 11 in the Aug. 9 primary election. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes will go against Republican incumbent Jason Rarick in the November 9 General Election. Peura grew up in rural Kettle River as a fifth-generation Carlton County resident. His educational background is behavioral sciences in management,... Full story
As temperatures heated up in Moose Lake this weekend, so did the number of people there for the Agate Days celebration, especially on Saturday afternoon. A half-hour before the 3 p.m. agate stampede, the streets were already lined with eager spectators, eventually standing four- and five deep in the heart of the southern Carlton County city. What is an agate stampede, you ask? It starts with two dump trucks driving up Elm Avenue in Moose Lake, dropping all kinds of rocks and gravel, plus 400...
The Cloquet Legion baseball team started playoffs this week after finishing the regular season with a 3-13 regular season record. "It is an unusual summer because we don't have any seniors playing on the team," said coach Tyler Olin, who also coaches the Cloquet High School baseball team. "They guys we have out want to play and our entire team is juniors and sophomores and even freshman. It is pretty rare not to have kids who have graduated, so we have a young group of kids." Last week Cloquet... Full story
Sporting a lineup that consists of 12 players who are only 15 years old and four who are U14-eligible, the Cloquet VFW is making its mark this summer as a team on the rise. "We are 5-11 on the regular season, but this group is extremely young and they have lost some close games to some real good teams," said coach Nate Knutson. "Our pitching has been consistently above average with guys like Grant Biebl, Nikko Gentilini and Jack Battaglia leading the group on the mound." Defensively, the squad... Full story
Alois "Al" Donald Rudnicki, 84, of Cloquet passed away July 1, 2022, in Essentia Health Moose Lake. He was born May 16, 1938, in Cook to John and Harriet Rudnicki. He graduated from Cloquet High School in 1957. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Minnesota Army National Guard. He was a St. Louis County corrections officer and spent time as a Solway township constable until retiring. Al enjoyed cars and spending time at swap meets and garage sales. He was active in Ducks Unlimited and... Full story
Minnesota's largest celebration of the state gem - the Lake Superior agate - returns to Moose Lake this weekend with the Agate Days celebration Saturday and Sunday. For those unfamiliar with our famous stone, the Lake Superior agate was named the official state gemstone in 1969. It is an unusually beautiful quartz stone banded with rich red and orange colors derived from iron ore in the soil. Most agates are about the size of a pea, but some are as big as bowling balls and weigh more than 20...
After two recent bulk mailings sent out to Wrenshall school district residents suggested that complaints about school board member comments in the past 13 months were unfounded, a union group representing district employees delivered the goods on Monday. More than 70 people attended Monday's meeting in Holyoke, where union members read a lengthy statement. In total, there were 24 speakers in a public forum that lasted 90 minutes inside the township hall. Several Education Minnesota-Wrenshall... Full story
There will be music and food at the semi-annual Moose Lake Historical Society meeting, set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21. Enjoy a picnic lunch of hot dogs, brats, salad and dessert and a concert by the Moose Lake Area Community Band, followed by a short business meeting at 6:15 p.m. Freewill offering. Call 218-485-4234 with questions....
Earlier this week, MnDOT crews began concrete repairs from a heat blowout on I-35 southbound just south of the Moose Lake entrance ramp. Work will require a closure of the right lane for one week and a closure of the left lane the following week. Lanes will reopen for the weekend, and all work will be completed by July 22. This work is south of the I-35 construction work near Barnum. More information about that project can be found on the website: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/i35-barnum/index.html....
What are we missing? We think (1) climate change is an existential issue requiring major, immediate, bipartisan government action; (2) government and policy that reflect the majority would promote a more perfect union, and (3) more unites us than divides us. But others disagree. We invited you to tell us. What are we missing? We’ll be ready with notebook and pencil to write down what you tell us, at these locations 4-5 p.m. Thursdays: • TJ’s in Mahtowa July 14 • The porch at the Chickadee in Barnum July 21 • Tables in front of Joe Jitters i... Full story
With July Fourth in the rearview mirror, summer festivals are now coming fast and furious. Moose Lake and Wright will celebrate their signature events next weekend, with Agate Days running July 16-17 and Wrong Days in Wright starting one day earlier, with events planned for July 15-17. Perhaps the most exciting news out of Moose Lake is the return of the Clark-Olsen Agate Stampede at 3 p.m. Saturday following a pandemic pause the last two years. For the uninitiated: people line up on both sides...
Lake Country Power announced its latest round of Operation Round Up grants. The cooperative’s Trust Board reviewed and considered 44 grant applications and distributed funds to 42 projects and programs this past quarter. Local recipients include: • Queen of Peace Quilters, funds for adult and baby quilts • Moose Lake Township, funds for pickleball courts • Cloquet Fourth of July Celebration, funds for free family celebrations • Washington Elementary School P.I.E., funds for eighth annual Light Up The Night run/walk • Carlton County Retired Edu...
James “Jim” Leroy McMann, 83, of Duluth passed away June 15, 2022 at Viewcrest Health Center in Duluth with many of his loving children by his side. Jim was born in Duluth to Thomas and Beatrice McMann on June 8, 1939. He attended high school at Duluth Central and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1957. He served as a force reconnaissance team leader in Vietnam, and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. In 1970 he left the USMC and returned to Minnesota and bought a sma... Full story
Ronald William Smith, 77, of Esko passed away on Monday, July 4, 2022, at Essentia Health Moose Lake. He was born on July 2, 1945, in Duluth to William and Martha Smith. He graduated from Denfeld High School in 1963. He served in the U.S. Army during wars in Korea and Vietnam, where he volunteered for an additional year of service. He later attended Minnesota Technical Institute in Duluth and received an associate degree in drafting. On July 15, 1967, he married Marie Suer in Duluth. On Sept.... Full story
Lawrence Peter William Switzer, 94, of Cromwell passed away on Monday, July 4, 2022 in Villa Vista. He was born on Oct. 4, 1927, in Holyoke to Orval and Nellsena Switzer. He was raised in Holyoke until he was 9 and moved to Kerrick in 1939. In 1943 the family moved to Kettle River. On Aug. 4, 1956, Lawrence married Charlotte Dickhoff in Mora. Lawrence farmed most of his life with his dad, purchasing the farm in Kettle River in 1956. He hauled milk from 1951 to 1955. Lawrence worked construction... Full story
